New Zealand’s wine industry is one of the best in the world, but if you are looking for something different, you may consider trying a beautiful Italian wine instead. After all, just like its New Zealand counterpart, there’s no denying that Italian wine has a well-deserved reputation for quality.

Italy is one of the world’s oldest producers of wine and second only to France in terms of the quantity which they produce. There is barely a region within Italy which isn’t growing grapes of some description to be used in the wine making process and it is certainly clear that the Italians are rightly proud of their wine making heritage.

Those who live in Italy will no doubt be well aware of this but Italians lead the wine consumption league table with around 70l per capita!

When in Rome…

Whilst it’s true that the Greek settlers who were first to introduce wine to Italy, the Roman’s certainly knew a good thing when they saw it and began creating their own vineyards around the 2nd Century BV. The Romans were famed for their ingenuity and this also applied to their wine making and they are thought to be the first to use storage techniques such as barrel making.

As mentioned, Italy boasts many wine making regions across the country and some of their most famous wine producing areas include:

      Tuscany

      Lombardy

      Piedmont

      Umbria

      Sardinia

      Campania

This is just a selection of the leading Italian wine producing regions and there are, of course, many other areas across Italy which are responsible for creating delicious wines.

Food and wine is something that Italians live and breathe and it’s little surprise that their wine has garnered such an impressive reputation all over the world. Italian wines such as Chianti and Barolo are loved the world over and whether you’re a lover of red or white wines, Italy has a bottle to match your tastes.

The fairly unique topography of Italy, with the mountainous regions of the north and the Africa adjacent landscapes of the south makes it the ideal breeding ground for many different types of wine – something to suit every palate.

If you’re a lover of fine wines, then chances are you will already have plenty of Italian bottles populating your wine rack or cellar but if you’re new to the world of wine, then there really is no better place to start than with the dry white Italian wines or their sweet red wines. As with wines from every region, part of the pleasure comes from trying wines from all over the country in order to refine your palate and to find your favourite amongst their offerings.

To find an excellent selection of Italian wines, visit www.spiritedwines.co.uk.